The crunchy pistachio and herb crust works well with the richness of salmon. Out of the oven, finish your salmon with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with asparagus and a tossed green salad.
½cupunsalted shelled pistachiostoasted and finely chopped
¼cupJapanese Panko crumbs or unseasoned breadcrumbstoasted, gluten-free
2tablespoonsfinely chopped chives
2tablespoonsfinely chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼teaspoonsea salt
¼ teaspoonground black pepper
Garnish
4lemon wedges
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Carefully turn the salmon skinned side up and with a very sharp, thin knife (like a filet knife) trim out any dark purple areas. This is the blood line and it can be strong tasting. If you don’t mind that, skip the trimming. Place filets on a foil covered rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix the mustard, butter and honey into a smooth paste. Set aside. In another small bowl, mix the pistachios, crumbs, parsley and chives. Season the salmon filets with sprinkles of salt and pepper. Spread a little of the butter mixture on top of the filets. Coat the top of the filets with some of the nut-crumb-herb mix, patting lightly. If you have extra of the herb crust mix it keeps for a few days refrigerated.
Place the salmon in the oven and roast for 12-14 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filets. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top.
Notes
Recipe notes for roasting salmon. My salmon filets were 1 ¼″ thick. I did them for 12 minutes in a convection oven at 400 degrees and they were perfect. For slightly rare salmon roast 11 minutes. The more you do this, the more you will develop your feel for roasting salmon and how you prefer to enjoy it. Another way to tell if they are done is to use a digital thermometer. Salmon should be cooked to 145°F.